Stolen without Intention
by Cheshire XIII
Summary: Conan has gone home. Kid isn't pleased his littlest critic has disappeared. To make it worse, Kudo Shinichi is back and foiling his plans. Plus, Kuroba Kaito has to spend his summer with the detective. Discontinued/hiatus/rewriting.
1. Abayo, KID

—Abayo, KID—

_**Whoosh**_

The flapping sound of a cape in the wind had the small figure tensing up before relaxing again. He didn't turn, already knowing who it was standing behind him, and refrained from the twitchy-reaction that he had developed when people where staring too hard.

"Tantei-kun. How like you to get by my traps and beat me to the roof," the mocking voice of Kaitou Kid said as the thief smirked. The small detective bowed his head enough so that two pairs of azure eyes met, one pair more indigo than the other, but both obscured by something.

"Kid," the seven year old greeted, his voice that blandness that sounded far too old for such an age. Kid grinned and tossed the Autumn Ruby up, catching it as it fell. The detective snorted and looked back forward, hands shoved in his pockets. Kid frowned in disappointment.

"Ne, Tantei-kun, you're not very fun tonight."

"Come here, Kid." The child said after a pause. Kid hesitated; months after battling this particular person had taught him to never underestimate children—Edogawa Conan could be viciously intelligent with the childlike innocence that made people overlook him. He was dangerous, as the thief had found out early in their little game.

The detective snorted again, this time sounding vaguely amused. "I'm not going to do anything, moron."

"How can I believe you when you call me moron? So mean, Kotantei-kun." Conan stiffened, then relaxed again, his head turning slightly.

"Don't call me that." He said, a sharp edge in his voice before he shrugged and sighed. "Just come here."

Kid paused again and stuck the Autumn Ruby in his pocket, walking over in cattish silence. Standing next to the seven year old, he looked around with a bored curiosity. It was just the roof of the Hantsuya Museum.

"What do you see?" Conan asked softly. The thief blinked and looked down at his littlest critic. He wasn't sure he was enjoying this meeting. It was too serious.

"Buildings," he said with boredom, "and my lovely fans," he added, grinning down at the hoard of screaming people below—mixed with red and blue lights of the police.

"Is that all?" The boy questioned, looking up at him through his fringe.

"What, not the answer you expected, Tantei-kun?" Kid remarked with a KID smirk. Blue eyes muck like his except for the darker tones around the pupil closed in what looked like exasperation. Conan reopened his eyes and scanned the area around them.

After a few moments of silence, the child sighed and turned around. "Eh, Tantei-kun? Where are you going?"

"Home." The boy said, hands still tucked in his pockets. Kid deflated some.

"You're giving up? No 'I'll catch you this time'? No tricks or banter?"

The small detective gave him a _look_, and rolled his eyes. He shifted so Kid couldn't see his face any more. "Yeah. That's not it, by the way."

"What?"

"The Autumn Ruby. Its not what your looking for."

Kid froze, his eyes wide. "Y-You _know_?"

"Yeah…"

"For how long? Since when?!"

There was a hesitation, then shrug. "A couple of months."

"_How?_!"

"…I'm a detective." Conan started to walk away, pausing again when he heard Kid's shuddered breath.

"Do you know who--?"

"No."

"Then why are you telling me this…?"

"Because…" the child tilted his head a little, "I want you to know if you find, and use it, I'll hunt you down and make you live the rest of your unnatural life in a cell." Those words left a sting in Kid's chest.

"Y-you think I would _use_ it! I would nev—_how_ could yo—"

"Kid may not," Conan interrupted, glancing back. The lights set up around glinted off his glasses, giving him an older, almost ominous look. "But what about the person behind the mask?"

The thief's mouth shut closed.

"We all hide behind something," the small detective said softly, "Maybe another part of ourselves not meant to come out until needed…maybe by the face we're expected to take." He blinked and spun back, striding to the door and opening it. Taking a last look at Kid, the child smiled with irony shinning through. "You might want to leave now. They're coming."

Then he was gone, and Kid was left with an odd feeling. Was it just him…or did that sound like a 'goodbye'?

**//**Keep dodging lights.  
Like a thief in the night.  
The sun will rise and expose all the lies.  
So why deny that you and I lead different lives.  
The rivers from your eye's can't change my mind**//**

Three weeks later, at the next Kid heist, Conan Edogawa wasn't there. Instead, his familiar glasses were presented at Kid's usual departing site. Underneath where they sat was a single line:

_**Don't lose sight of the game, Thief.**_

Two days later, pretending to be a fan, Kid showed up at the Mouri Detective Agency and casually asked about the young boy who was usually around.

"Conan went home."

"_We all hide behind something."_

Hardly two hours later had he realized what the entirety of those actions meant.

Conan Edogawa was gone.

**//**So long this is good-bye.  
Maybe we'll meet again in another life.  
Like strangers passing by.  
Maybe we'll see clearly in a different light**//**

A gasp, a shudder, a moan and grunt. The sound of something falling. The sound of weak chuckles.

"It worked." A hoarse voice.

A relieved sigh. A joyous laugh.

A warm and welcoming voice. "Welcome home, Kudo Shinichi."

* * *

. . .

* * *

A/N: Right...so, this is my first evah! Case Closed/Detective Conan-slash-Magical Kaito fic. I've never actually watched/read MK, so you'll probably find a couple (or a lot) of mistakes. Die hard fans, hand please? I have watched most of the episodes/movies that had Kid costarring though, mostly because I love Shin-chan's reactions. x3

Ah, that reminds me. Mostly because I used to be really into DC, partially because it seems like it never happens, but Shinichi will end up getting the upper hand over Kaito quite a bit. This is probably OoC, but I like the idea of the detective overthrowing the thief. I'd like to think that his time as Conan had taught him more tricks and that his return as Shinichi has made it possible for him to truly take on Kid. BTW, in case it wasn't obvious, Kaito doesn't know who Conan is.

...okay. Enough a/n's, I guess. (sweatdrop)

If you see any mistakes, please PM me so I can correct them. Unless it was on purpose, or something. o.O

* * *

. . .


	2. Niihao, KID

(Thank you for the reviews~!)

—Niihao, KID—

_**Whoosh**_

The flapping sound of a cape falling in place had the figure huffing in amusement. He didn't turn, already knowing who stood behind him and didn't bother to stop his twitch at being stared at too hard.

"Ah, so you're the new meitantei," the mocking voice of Kaitou Kid said as the thief did a quick profile. Rather difficult when his new adversary was standing with his back to the thief.

The detective bowed his head enough so that two pairs of blue eyes could meet, one pair more indigo than the other.

"Aa. Kaitou Kid-san, is it?" He asked, though the way his eyes flashed said he already knew. Kid smirked and bowed, one hand in front of him as he snapped his fingers, a pretty blue rose appearing. The detective raised a brow, his lips quirking up in his own smirk.

"You know me, Meitantei-san, but I don't know you."

The detective huffed in amusement again and turned fully, showing features that had Kid holding his breath. This guy…he looked identical to himself out of uniform. Except for the hair, and the darker eyes…but still. Creepy.

Tucking his hands in the dark slacks he wore, his new adversary tilted his head. "Kudo Shinichi."

Well. Wasn't that a familiar name?

Kid frowned. "Aren't thieves out of your territory?" He asked almost petulant. Kudo glanced behind him.

"Mhmum. Usually."

"Ooh, does that make me special?" Kid asked with a leer. Kudo blinked slowly, as if the words damaged something upstairs before his eyebrow started to twitch. Controlling himself, he continued to look behind the thief, making said thief wonder what was obviously irritating him. Oh…unless he was wondering about the traps rigged…

Kudo blinked and Kid swore he saw something like fond exasperation in those eyes, but it was gone too fast to tell.

"I should have expected that." He said with a sigh.

"Should you have? This is the first time we've met, Meitantei-san." The thief murmured, dancing forwards while a hand moved to one of his many pockets. He hadn't known what to expect from this new detective, but something about him made the kaitou want to get away. Fingers touching one of his smoke bombs, he was about to grab it when—

_**Swiosh**__**—**__**!**_

Kid 'eep'ed and duck the incoming—wait, was that a _soccer ball_?!

"Are you trying to kill me?!" He shouted, staring with wide eyes as the indent the ball left in the _concrete wall_.

Kudo shifted, a bland look on his face, "Whoops. Sorry," the detective said, not look very sorry at all. Kid twitched. He was starting to see why Tantei-kun liked this bastard so much; they were awfully alike in the whole "lets-take-off-Kid's-head"!

Wait…

In a flash, the detective found himself on the ground on his back with Kaitou Kid straddling him, legs pinning his own down and a very serious look on his face. "You knew Edogawa Conan, didn't you?"

Kudo did that slow blink again. "Maybe," he said finally. Kid scowled.

"Where is Tantei-kun?" A strange expression passed the detective's face, too fast for Kid to actually name, but it gave him an uneasy feeling that the detective knew and was _amused_.

He wasn't able to ponder it for to long seeing as Kudo got his wits and reversed their position. "Ah-ah, Meitantei-san," the thief tutted, hiding his displeasure, "We've just met!"

"Well, too bad." Kudo said. Then there were hands. In his suit.

Kid squeaked. Kudo paused and gave him a _look_.

Suddenly he stood, spinning away from Kid and not giving him a chance to gather his composer before saying, "Maybe next time, Kaitou Kid-san." He grabbed the handle to the door and looked back with an ironic smile, "You might want to go. They're coming. By the way—" Kudo held up a familiar looking jewel that had Kid gaping. "Its not what you're looking for."

And he was gone, leaving the thief to stare, flustered and confused and with an enormous sense of déjà vu.

"What. The. Hell.?"

* * *

"Ah, Shin-chan!"

Shinichi blinked as he walked in Kudo Manner, slipping his shoes off as he did.

Somehow, the teen thought, he didn't like the expression on his mom's face. "Ah… yes, Okasan?"

"Its summer!" She shouted, clapping her hands happily.

"…Yes."

"We're having guest!"

"…ah?"

His mother bounced a little. "Oh yes! I don't know if you remember them, but an old family friend and her son are coming to spend the whole summer here with us! Isn't that great?"

Why were his detective senses going haywire? Shinichi twitched slightly, feeling an odd cold dread in his stomach. "Who?" He finally asked.

"Kuroba Chikage and Kaito~" She cheered.

Kuroba… now why did that sound familiar?

* * *

"Tadaima," Kaito said blearily, still slightly dazed from his heist. His mother was sitting on the couch, sipping tea. She smiled as he walked in, turning away from the book she was reading.

"Okaeri." She said softly. "How was it?"

Kaito scowled, coming over to flop on the couch and lay his head in her lap, muttering about stupid detectives and cold hands. His mother didn't say anything about that.

"Oh, that reminds me. We're going to Beika for the summer." Kaito grunted. "We'll be staying at a friend of mine's house. Ah, I can't wait to see Yukiko-chan again. Hm, wonder how young Shinichi-kun has grown too…"

Kaito froze and slowly looked up at his mother. "…Okasan…what is the family name?"

Blue eyes the same as his blinked down in confusion, "Kudo," she replied merrily.

…

Well, shit.

* * *

. . .

* * *

A/N: I didn't know Kaito's mom's name, so made one up. Gomeeeeeen_**—**_! Ah, I also don't know the Japanese school system. I heard that they have school during summer, with breaks in between, or something, but never did get around to really checking it out. (sigh) So comes the insertion of the American system. Or at least the Baldwin County one.

**EDIT: **Kaito's mom's name has been revealed! Tsuriko has been changed to Chikage.


	3. Chirhajimeru, KID

_Thanks for the reviews!_

—**Chirihajimeru, KID****—**

His cape fell around him gracefully as he landed on the top of the museum. There were no police cars or screaming fans below this time; his warning note had been more vague than normal. It was a silly thing, of course, but he had had the sudden urge to fly. Kaitou Kid was known for flying; Kuroba Kaito was not. Except maybe to Hakuba, who always hit a little close to home, the annoying jerk.

Sighing, he smiled in nostalgia, eyes scanning the empty roof. Any time now he expected Kudo Shinichi to burst out of somewhere. His smile faltered a little bit at that; he'd only met the detective three times so far, barring the first, and all of them had ended up with him going home dazed. Kudo only managed to get the stolen item back the first time they met, but that didn't change the detective's perchance of somehow getting his hands in Kid's suit. Last time he had ended up setting off a trap; Kid hoped that taught him to keep his limbs to himself.

Though, he had to admit, Kudo looked good in a pink tutu.

Turning away from the edge of the Hantsuya Museum, the thief waited patiently for the roof door to open. He wasn't disappointed—ten minutes later Kudo stepped through, a speck of glittery yellow on the bottom of his pants. Kid tried to keep from twitching, how was it he managed to avoid his traps all the time? If he didn't know better, he'd think the other had studied him, which was impossible, since even his Taskforce couldn't avoid his traps, and they'd been after him for years.

Kudo, apparently, could.

The detective said nothing, just tucked his hands in the pockets of his surprisingly casual blue jeans and walked closer. Kid tensed up, prepared to get tackled, or something.

"Hello, Meitantei-san," he said cheerfully. Kudo gave him a bland look.

"I hate you." It was said without heat, and almost petulantly. Kid's lips twitched.

"Oh? I'm sorry."

"No, you're not. If you were, you'd stop this." The detective muttered, walking closer to the edge of the roof. This was the fourth heist in the past three weeks!

The thief didn't reply, but watched his adversary. This would be his last spontaneous heist for a while—he would be coming to live in Beika for the rest of summer. And with Kudo, too. It made him feel uneasy and slightly queasy. What if the other found out? He had a hard enough time with just their little meetings, but practically full-time living?

"You're quiet." Kudo said suddenly. Kid frowned and hesitantly moved closer to the edge too, making sure to keep a good distance between them.

"Thinking." He said simply. He was oddly reminded of the last time he was on this roof. The last time he saw Tantei-kun.

"Yeah? You're not planning to jump without your glider, are you?" He asked. Kid was about to say something when he continued flatly, glancing down, "That'd be awfully rude. I'd pity whoever had to clean up your mess."

"You're mean, Meitantei-san," he murmured with a pout.

"So I've been told."

They were silent for a few minutes, Kid enjoying the way the wind blew his cape around him, reminiscing of other heists. After a few more minutes, Kudo spun on his heel and headed to the door. The thief turned as well, surprise lacing his voice, "Eh, Meitantei-san? Where are you going?"

The detective glanced back and Kid was hit with a familiar feeling, a feeling he'd been hit with the other times Kudo came after him: déjà vu. Only it had intensified; posed like that, hands in his pockets, eyes just barely over his shoulder, close to the door and shadows playing against his face, giving him an ominous look, he was strongly reminded of Conan.

"Home," Kudo said simply, shrugging.

Kid refused to allow the scene to replay, biting his tongue against what he was going to say. He paused, head tilted downward enough for his tophat to hide his emotions. "Metantei-san…where is Edogawa Conan?"

He hadn't asked after the first night, but standing here like this, he couldn't help it. Kudo continued to stare at him. "He went home," he said softly.

"Did he really?" Whatever compelled him to ask that, he didn't know, but seeing the surprise, and something else, flash across the detective's face made it worth it. He hadn't been able to get Kudo to show anything other than amusement and annoyance before.

Kudo's lips turned upward, but he said nothing, just continued his way to the door, and left without a backwards glance or a farewell.

Kid stared for a moment then looked back at the edge. Slowly, he reached inside his suite and pulled out his prize for the night: _The Dolphin's Tear¹_. It was beautiful, he admitted, and gave off an eerie glow, but almost instantly he knew it wasn't Pandora. Still, better safe than sorry.

Standing closer to the roof edge than before, the thief stared out at the landscape.

"_What do you see?"_

"_Buildings. And my lovely fans."_

"_Is that all?"_

Indigo eyes jumped from point to point before narrowing, then closing. What did he see?

Tucking _The Dolphin's Tear_ back inside his jacket, he took a breath and dived off the side, freefalling for as long as he could before deploying his glider.

The next week he would come to Beika and go to Kudo Manner. It would probably be a while before he could do something this free, _be himself_, again. Though, strangely enough, a part of him balked at the idea of putting on a façade for the remaining summer, for Kudo Shinichi.

Kid mentally scowled. The stupid detective was messing up his plans and he wasn't even around anymore.

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A/N: The title, "Falling, KID" (to those who know Japanese, this was meant as freefalling, but also in the form to be taken as 'falling into confusion' or 'falling in love'. Either, and, or, all three) came from teh Fox's idea. Sankyuu, love. Also, _The Dolphin's Tear_ came from tigerHellspawn's **D.N Angel** story of the same title.

Hopefully that wasn't too OoC. (._.)


	4. Koroshi, Kudo

—**Koroshi, Kudo****—**

Kudo Shinichi was many things. Patient was surprisingly not on that list. Which was odd, seeing as he solved some of the most difficult cases and was an avid reader of thick mystery books; you often needed patience for that, but Shinichi really sort of kind of—

"Oh my God, he's dead!"

—wasn't.

The teen detective could feel a migraine coming on as he stared at the body in front of him and heard people screaming and crying. He heaved a sigh, one that was echoed from beside him. Hattori Heiji looked the prose of sadness, staring at the dead man with a mournful frown. Shinichi knew that face wasn't because some one was dead—well, it _was_, but more along the lines of someone was dead _now_, and them being who they were, they'd feel compelled to solve the murder (and it was a murder, because you can't accidentally fall dead with a knife sticking from the base of your neck) and that would take _time_, and they would miss riding Adventure Land's newest roller coaster.

"Really, Kudo," the Osakan murmured, "Y'can't be taken _any_ where."

"I _know_." He whined, well aware of his habit of being around when bodies fall, "And I swear, its gotten _worse_. I could go at least a week or _two_ without seeing a dead person as Conan."

Hattori adjusted his ball cap and sighed again while Shinichi took in the details of the surrounding area before the sound of a familiar voice had him turning. "Megure-keibu is here," he said needlessly. And, oh, Kogorou was with him. Shinichi felt the migraine worsen.

He had tried to stay as far away from Mouri Kogorou as much as possible since his return. Apparently his business was going down since Conan left (though he had to give props, it _had_ taken a while for it to happen) and he was looking to blame the cause, which was admittedly, himself.

Shinichi moved a little, hoping that his best friend's father wouldn't see him—and failed. Like a missile, those eyes locked on his form and a shark-like smile came to Kogorou's lips. The teen shuddered; he sometimes forgot that Kogorou wasn't completely _stupid_, and that if he wanted to, he could cause Shinichi quite a bit of pain with a muttered word to his daughter.

"Kudo-kun," Megure-keibu greeted, always happy when the younger detective was around, "and Hattori-kun, too."

The Osakan wasn't paying attention. Shinichi paused from greeting Kogorou to watch his friend. He had seen Hattori in action few times, and every chance he had, he would watch. It might have been that 'rival vibe' they used to have that made him do it—he just thought it was fascinating. For all their alikeness, Hattori's deduction process was much different from his own, and he often saw things Shinichi never did, or came to theories the other couldn't find. Even when he made mistakes, or connected the entirely wrong dots, he still did it with the right steps.

After a moment, Hattori turned from his spot of questioning a woman and gave him a look that clearly asked why the hell was he just standing there doing nothing, get your ass over here, Kudo and help me out so we can ride that roller coaster—Shinichi grinned and strode to him, hands shoved in his pocket. Okay, so this was annoying, but solving a case with Hattori and battling wits? It was almost as fun as meeting with KID.

A couple hours later, much to everyone's bafflement, (and Shinichi's extreme annoyance) they found that the murder really _was_ an accident. The culprit was the man's wife, an American woman who couldn't understand Japanese and was relying on him for translations. During their walk around the amusement park, he had complained about his shirt tag, and she being helpful, took out her pocketknife (it was one of those large defense-life knives) and was going to cut it off. She tripped. Gravity, momentum, and sharp pointy things do not go well in the case of being directly in front of the cervical vertebrae.

Still, it was an accident and the woman, who was found behind one of the larger buildings, sobbing and clutching her bloody hands, was so traumatized it took Shinichi two hours to get her to even talk properly.

"You know," she said later after being processed and given clean clothes, "it's almost funny." Here, she gave a laugh a little on the hysterical side. Hattori, who was with them, gave Shinichi a confused look that made the other detective shake his head. Sometimes understanding English was great, but it was better when he didn't have to make translations every five minutes.

"Why?" He had asked her, not finding any of it funny at all. She had looked up at him through her dark hair, a sort of bitter humor on her face.

"Do you believe in fate, detective?" Shinichi blinked. Fate? "I don't," she continued, "but I have to wonder…you see, I was going to kill my husband in another year."

He started, feeling his heart beat faster. Hattori apparently understood the mood if the way he tensed up was any indication. The woman wasn't looking at them anymore, but out the window and at the darkening sky.

"My mother always said life is like the moon. Its waxes and wanes, always in a cycle of life and death and somewhere in the middle of that, it'll be full. I thought maybe with Robert my life would be full, too. I loved him, you know, detective. He gave me three beautiful boys and I've not had a difficult life." She leant back in the chair, "He has cancer. Had. That's why I was going to kill him in another year, if it didn't get better. The treatments are awful and sometimes when he thought I couldn't hear, he would cry. It would have been painless, too much sleeping medicine, and I was going to turn myself in the next morning."

Shinichi's mind was blank.

"Only if it got worse," she murmured, "Because I loved him. I guess that's the price of love; when that person is in pain and hope wanes further and further, you feel you need to try something to take away that pain. He always put on a brave face for us, but I've known him for eighteen years. I saw the bitterness in his eyes, the desperation and resignation when he thought we weren't looking."

"And you thought he wanted to die?" It came out a snarl and unthinkingly. She gave him a bland look.

"No. No, he didn't. But like I said—if the cancer didn't get any better." She sighed. "Don't think too badly of me, detective, I didn't smile at the thought of killing him. I cried for weeks, actually. And this—today, this was an accident. I didn't want this to happen."

She smiled watery, hands clenched around her wrists. "When you fall in love, detective, and your loved one is in trouble, whatever that trouble is, you'll probably find yourself making decisions you don't want to make, taking chances you don't want to take…it's a never ending cycle…you'll have to find a place in it, though."

--

--

"Hey, are you staying over tonight?" Shinichi asked Hattori as they walked out of the police station. The Osakan yawned and glanced at his watch before nodding.

"Yeah. Yer 'kaasan isn't gonna mind, is she?" He asked, probably remembering the last time he had showed up at Kudo Manner unannounced. Yukiko and Yusaku had been surprised that not only did he have a key, but Shinichi had practically gave him one of the guest rooms for when he was in Beika, which seemed to happen more often lately.

"She shouldn't. Oh!" He groaned and rubbed his head, "We're supposed to have guests tonight… eh, you can still stay. I doubt any one's going to want your room."

Hattori grinned, hands coming up behind his head. Okay, so maybe he had taken Shinichi's invitation to the Manner whenever he was in town a little too seriously, seeing as the former guest room really was much like his. And he stayed there enough that even the Eastern Detective's parents were referring it to 'Heiji-kun's room'. Then again, the same could be said back in Osaka with 'Shinichi-kun's room'.

"Who's there?"

"Some friend of Okasan and Tousan's, and her kid. I didn't get to meet them seeing as I was with you all day."

"'Nd we never got to ride t'elevator thing." Hattori muttered with disappointment. Shinichi knew how he felt; the ride was the latest creation of a British amusement park mogul, Stephen Price¹. The two detectives had no idea what the ride really did, but it was like an elevator, and when the riders came out, they were white, shaking, crying or vomiting—or in some cases all four, with the occasional hysterically laughing rider.

"We'll have to go again sometime next week. Maybe Ran and Kazuha can come too."

"'Nd the kid staying with you?"

Shinichi frowned, head tilted back in thought. "If he wants, I guess." Shrugging, the detective ran a hand through his hair and looked at his companion. "Try to make a good impression, okay?"

Hattori snorted. "I ain't the one who has to live with 'em."

"No, but Okasan would be awfully upset if you didn't…" Shinichi smirked at the Osakan's flinch.

The rest of the way was idle chatter, but as they came on his street, the oddest thought hit Shinichi—for the briefest of moments, he wondered when Kid's next heist was.

The detective paused, frowning. Why did he care?

Tch. He didn't. The thief was just entertaining.

Next to him, Hattori had also paused, noticing his friend's pensive look and the small unconscious upturn of his lips. The darker boy smirked, guessing Kudo was thinking of Ran again; honestly, why didn't the boy just confess his love?

Shaking his head, Hattori continued on, stopping at the door of Kudo Manner after they passed the gate, calling over his shoulder, "Oi, Kudo! Stop daydreaming an' lovesickin' 'nd get over here!"

_**Swiosh**__**—**__**!**_

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A/N: Another chapter, w00t! Sorry for any OoC-ness and the crappy crime scene. For all my love of CSI and LaO, I don't really pay attention to the scientific/technical stüff. (le sigh)

Anyway, reviews appreciated! And hey, if one of you feels bored enough, you can PM me with a couple of random words that might give me inspiration.

Also, kudos to whoever got the **1** reference.


	5. Niihao, Kudo

_Thank you for the reviews~!_

**—****Niihao, Kudo****—**

Kaito sat back on one of the many comfortable couches in Kudo Manner (in the few hours he'd been there, he tested them all) and watched his mother as she talked with Kudo Yukiko. The former actress was bubbly and chipper and Kaito briefly wondered how come her son was so serious. Then, he looked at the man a cushion away and figured it out.

It had been difficult to look at Kudo Yusaku at first, but the thief got over it; mostly by ignoring the likeness to his father. It was made easier, though—Yusaku was too detective-y.

_Just like Meitantei-san_, he thought dryly.

He was jerked from his thoughts when Yusaku made a sound and grabbed the TV remote, turning up the volume and breaking the two women from their conversation. Kaito blinked as the news came on and showed a screen shot of a very familiar person.

"Looks like another case fell in his lap," Yusaku said, clearly amused. Yukiko sighed and moved a tress of hair away from her eyes.

"Shin-chan is so unlucky." Her husband shifted his shoulders, smiling as they watched the report.

"…_the murdered man, Heindrick Robert-san was found at Adventure Land amusement park today at 3:25 P.M. Cause of death was a knife in the base of his neck__—__"_ the reporter paused and looked at his papers, _"his cervical vertebrae, killing him instantly. High school detectives Kudo Shinichi-san and Hattori Heiji-san were on the case helping Megure-keibu and Detective Mouri-san."_

A clip from earlier was shown and Kaito couldn't help it when his eyes instantly found Shinichi's form. The detective was crouched next to the dead man, Hattori standing behind him, bent down so they could talk. Shinichi then stood up with the murder weapon in his gloved hand, apparently taking it to another officer when he suddenly tripped.

Yukiko giggled and Yusaku sighed.

The detective had annoyance rather than embarrassment plastered on his face as he moved onto his knees. Suddenly his eyes widened, then narrowed as he stared at the knife. He said something to Hattori, who gave him an odd look before walking to the dead man and checked something, coming back a minute later with something like incredulousness on his face.

Shinichi handed over the knife to be bagged, then disappeared off screen, only to come back with a stick about as big as the murder weapon. He had Hattori stand in front of him where he had tripped, held the stick the way you would were you about to cut something against Hattori's neck, then took a step forward and tripped again, falling into the Osakan instead of down.

The two detectives then went to Megure-keibu and the clip ended.

"…_.the culprit, Heindrick-san's wife, Heindrick Melani-san was found behind the food court, hysterical and bloody."_

Another clip showed, the sky considerably darker, with Shinichi and Hattori walking with a rather pretty woman. She was petite, with dark hair and pale eyes, shaking with a shawl around her shoulders and Shinichi's hand guiding her. A reporter then entered the clip, speaking rapidly to Melani, who began to shake harder, her eyes dilated in shock.

"_Hey!"_ Shinichi shouted at the reporter, his arm tightening around the woman, _"She can't understand Japanese, and even if she could, she's in no position to answer questions!"_

"_Th'murder was an accident, an'way,"_ Hattori said, glaring. The reporter made a vaguely insulting jibe at the woman that had Shinichi scowling and staring death at the man.

"_Go. Away."_ He said. Kaito felt himself trying to keep in a grin. Okay, so Meitantei-san was kinda cool. _"She's in shock. She's confused, hurt, bloody and in a foreign country. Go bother Megure-keibu, __taninmeiwaku."_

The clip ended and all the adults burst into some sort of amusement. "Ah," Chikage said, smiling, "Shinichi-kun was always rather outspoken, ne?" She leaned farther back in the chair, "I remember once when Yusaku-kun was teasing Kai-kun and Shinichi-kun hit you right in the face with your pen."

Wait, what?

The thief blinked rapidly, staring at his mother. "Huh?"

Chikage smiled at her son, "Your father and I used to bring you over here all the time when you were younger. Shinichi-kun is only eight months older than you¹, but he seemed to like 'protecting' you." She stifled her smile at Kaito's gaping. "Even your father couldn't tease you without Shinichi-kun's revenge."

Yukiko giggled. "Oh, remember that one time when Shin-chan rigged the chair Toichi-kun usually sat at?"

"Yes! And when he sat down, banana custard fell from a bucket—"

"—and when he dodged, Shin-chan kicked him in the legs to make him fall in it anyway."

The two women were laughing at the end, Yusaku chuckling while Kaito desperately tried to remember these events. It wasn't working, though he did get a flash of a young boy smiling at him and holding up a plastic ring.

The thief was about to ask questions when a yell interrupted them.

They heard the sound of the door being flung open and hitting the wall, then footsteps and more shouting.

"Hattori, get back here!"

"No! Y'll take my head off!"

There was a screech of shoes and Hattori Heiji flew into the room, wide eyed panicked and looking for some place to hide. He either didn't notice, or was ignoring all the people in the room as he dove behind the couch Kaito was sitting on. Hardly a second later, Kudo Shinichi was in the doorway with an evil air and a soccer ball.

The detective paused, eyes flickering around the room then landing on him. There was an odd tenseness that Kaito didn't understand before Shinichi's eyes widened and he back peddled into the wall, pointing at the thief in surprise, "Hanayome!"

…

"Excuse me?"

Shinichi was still backed in the wall, and behind him Hattori had popped up. "Y'ok, Kudo?" the Osakan asked, vague worry in his tone.

The other detective blinked a few times and went through a myriad of expressions before his face blanked. "I think I'm going to go outside…" He muttered, snatching his soccer ball off the floor and leaving quickly.

The room was quiet. Then Hattori leaned over the couch next to Kaito. "Hey. So, what, yer—"

"HATTORI. Outside. NOW." Shinichi's voice rang out like thunder and the Osakan detective sweat-dropped before jumping over the couch and jogging out of the room.

"Looks like Shinichi remembered you, Kaito." Yusaku said finally, smirking.

..

* * *

A/N: More OoCness? Goooooooooomen! (._.) Oh, ¹: I read somewhere that Kaito was fifteen instead of seventeen, then again and it said he was seventeen. I decided since I saw his age at fifteen first, I'd make him younger than Shin-chan… .

_(Translations:_

_Taninmeiwaku—to be an annoyance._

_Hanayome—bride )_


	6. Interlude, Furenzu

—Interlude, Furenzu—

"_Kaiiiiitooooo!" A young boy shouted, running through the large house with a vague scowl on his face. "Kaito, get back here!"_

"_Ne, ne, Tantei-kun__—__!"_

"_Ack! Ahou, don't __**do**__ that!" Kudo Shinichi glared at the young boy who looked almost exactly like himself, bar his ruffled hair and indigo eyes. _And_, he thought_, that stupid expression!

"_Aw, c'mon, Shin-chan," Kurob Kaito whined, putting on his puppy face. It usually worked with the adults, but as soon as he saw blue eyes narrow, he knew he'd failed at calming his friend. Kaito scoffed and folded his arms over his small chest, "I don't see why you're worried so much, Shinichi," he muttered with a pout. He had just been under the stairs, is all._

"_Because, you baka, what if you got hurt?" The seven year old asked, still glaring. Kaito grinned._

"_What, hurt? You're always protecting me, that's impossible." The younger of the two said wrapping his arms around his friend's neck. _

_Shinichi paused and looked away, "You know," he started hesitantly, "I won't be able to protect you forever."_

"_Well, no," Kaito said shrugging, "But that's okay. I'll protect myself. And when we get older, I'll protect __**you**__."_

_Shinichi snorted, giving the other an amused grin, "Yeah right. You stupid magician."_

"_Oi, oi, I'll be the __**best**__ magician, ever! I'll be even better than Kaitou Kid and Tou-san! Just you watch, Shin-chan."_

"_Unhuh? Well then I'll be the best detective ever. And I'll unravel __**all**__ of your tricks!" He said with a manic grin at Kaito's horrified look. _

"_Shiiiiiin-chaaaaaaaaan! You're supposed to be my __**friend**__. You can't take away the magic!"_

Shinichi tore himself out of his memories, barely managing to kick the soccer ball coming his way. Blinking a few times, the young detective rubbed his forehead.

"Oi, Kudo. What was tha' in there?" Hattori asked, gesturing to the house. They were in the back yard, kicking the ball to each other while the sun set and the moon rose. "I mean…hanayome?"

"…shut up." The detective muttered, rolling the ball in his hands. He had never expected to see Kaito again. _At least now I know why the name sounded familiar. But does he remember me?_

_

* * *

_

Kaito sat on the couch cross-legged as he tried to force memories from his youth to come. It was failing. He had suppressed a lot of memories after his father died, mostly subconsciously, but as far as he knew, they were only ones that dealt with his father. They should have been, any way.

_They were sitting at the dinner table—the four parents and the two kids. He sat next to the other boy, bouncing in his seat. He had just learned a new magic trick and couldn't wait to put it to use—on the other, especially. Tou-san had told him that magic was for fun and that you never, ever hurt any one with it purposely. Really, he thought, he wouldn't hurt Shin-chan anyway. _

"_Ne, ne, Shin-chan," he nudged the other boy in the ribs. Shin-chan blinked and looked at him curiously. "Watch," Kaito whispered, nodding his head at Shin-chan's Tou-san. Yusaku was laughing at something Toichi said, then took a bite of his food. As soon as he did, confetti burst from nowhere, getting all in the man's hair and coating his mustache. _

_There was silence before everyone but Yusaku burst into laughter. _

"_How did you do that, Kaito?" Shin-chan asked, blue eyes wide and shining with mirth. The other grinned and shook his head._

"_A magician never reveals his secrets." The older boy tilted his head before snorting. "__**No**__, Shin-chan, you can't get all detective-y!"_

"_Hai, hai, whatever you say, ahou." Kaito pouted. _

"_I'm not an ahou, baka tantei." _

The thief gave a slow blink as he returned from the memory. Then he fell over on the couch sideways. "He was _always_ like that?" He muttered to himself in disbelief. He didn't know Meitantei-san had always been a tantei. That was…actually, that wasn't extremely surprising. Not much anyway. Kaito was just a little shocked at how familiar it all was.

"Remembering?" He looked up to see Chikage smiling down at him. "Its difficult, isn't it?" She asked softly, coming around the couch to sit next to him.

"Its weird to think we were once friends… I called him _Shin-chan_."

"And what do you call him now?"

"Meitantei-san." Kaito murmured, slumping over into his mother's warmth.

"You know," Chikage murmured lowly, "you're not Kid right now. You're Kaito. You can call him Shin-chan again."

"No," the thief said softly, "I can't. One day he'll find out. I know he will. Just like he somehow found out about Pandora." Chikage stiffened and Kaito mentally winced when he realized he hadn't told her that Shinichi knew.

"He knows?"

"Yeah. Either he told Conan, or Conan told him before he left, but he knows." His lips twitched up. "He likes to point out which gems aren't Pandora at our meetings. Though how he might know, he's not revealing."

"Shinichi-kun has always been like that." Chikage said. "Yukiko-chan seems to think he has a sixth sense for the mysterious. Yusaku says he's just very observant."

"What do you think?"

Chikage was silent for a minute, and in her silence the two could hear the faint sound of rain beginning to fall. A door opened a shut somewhere, followed by loud laughter and a bouncing ball. Kaito smiled at that, but for reasons he didn't know.

"Dinner is ready, Chi-chan, Kaito-kun," Yukiko came in and said. The two Kurobas nodded in thanks and stood up.

"I think," Chikage said, touching her son's shoulder, "that you should get to know Shinichi-kun."

* * *

Shinichi rubbed his damp hair as he sat down at the table, right in between Kaito and Hattori. A glance to his left side showed that Kaito was glancing at him, as if trying to remember something, or remembering one of the pranks he had played at this table.

"Ah," his old friend murmured, looking out the window. "The sky rains tears of laughter."*

"Who's laughin'?" Hattori asked, raising a brow.

"Dunno." He shrugged. _Ironic laughter, maybe? I'm sitting here with two detectives, one who is apparently my childhood friend and best rival other than Tantei-kun, and both want to bust me as Kid…plus Yusaku is a good detective too. Too…much… law abiding…!_

"Hey, you okay?" He heard Shinichi question. Kaito nodded dazedly.

"'M fine, Shin-chan." He muttered unthinkingly. Shinichi froze.

"Uhm…"

"Oh. Whoops. Sorry, I'm still trying to remember you." The teen said with a shrug. Hattori frowned.

"Why can't y'remember Kudo?"

"I dunno. Maybe Shin-chan hit me in the head with a soccer ball." Shinichi scoffed.

"Oh, no, Kaito-kun, Shin-chan was always protecting you." Yukiko cooed out. "After all he was—"

"Itadakimasu!" Shinichi interrupted. His parents gave him unimpressed looks. Kaito blinked with honest confusion, while Hattori choked on his juice, either in laughter, surprise or both because he figured something out, and Chikage smiled pleasantly.

"Don't worry, Shinichi-kun," she said, still smiling, "I'm sure you have nothing to worry about."

The detective face planted the table and Kaito realized that he really, probably didn't want to know.

..

* * *

A/N: Feels shorter than usual… Title is "Interlude, Friends". I hope it wasn't OoC than it usually is.

Credit goes to 1412 karasu for the *'d quote. Beware for more in later chapters—she gave me some _fantastic_ materials. Sankyuu Karasu-chama~!


	7. Niihao, Ran

Thank you for the reviews~

This is un-beta'd. Sorry.

**—****Niihao, Ran****—**

Over the past week in the Kudo Mansion, Kaito had come to one conclusion: Kudo Shinichi was not human.

Seriously.

And Hattori Heiji probably wasn't, either. Those two were so…scary. More than Hakuba on a rampage; and he could deal with Hakuba, there was only one of him. But Shinichi and Hattori teamed up for anything was steadily becoming something he was trying to avoid. Them teamed up against each other was worse.

(Though, to be honest, Kaito was trying to figure out why Hattori was still at the house. Didn't he have some place to be?)

Now, the thief watched from his position on the kitchen counter as the two detectives sat at the table, arguing over Sherlock Holmes and Ellery Queen while carelessly flinging their breakfast from their chopsticks. He glared when he saw what looked like a piece of octopus fly past his head.

"You two are idiots." He finally said. Shinichi looked up at him, blue eyes wide and Kaito was glad that he was starting to remember the detective again, because if he hadn't, this trick would certainly work on him.

"Eh? Who's yer fav'rit, Kuroba?" Hattori asked blandly. Kaito smirked, leaning on his hand and crossing his legs.

"Maurice Leblanc. I always liked Arsène Lupin." Both detectives gaped before Shinichi snorted.

"Kami. You remind me of Kid, sometimes, you know."

Luckily, Shinichi had turned away, missing the way Kaito's face drained of colour.

Hattori, however, noticed.

--

--

"Shiiiiininchiiii!"

_Oh my God, it's a banshee!_ Was Kaito's first thought as the yell rang throughout the large house. He looked up from his binder and stared at the door as it opened. Then some one stepped in, and Kaito was thrown into a flashback.

"_Kaitooooo," Shin-chan called, arms crossed over his chest as he looked for his friend. "Kaito, where are you?"_

"_Ne?" Kaito looked at his best friend from up-side down as he hung from the tree. "…Did you just scream at me?" He dropped to the ground, blinking._

"_No. No I did not." The tiny detective defended, glaring. He lost the look soon, "Hey, c'mon. I want you to meet someone." _

_Kaito frowned as Shinichi grabbed his hand and practically drug him down the street from the mansion until they were standing in front of a house-apartment. The two seven year olds walked up the sidewalk, and Shinichi knocked on the door. A few minutes later, a girl their age opened it, her eyes lighting up as she saw Shinichi._

"_Shinichi-kun!"_

"_Ran-chan," Shinichi greeted, smiling. He swung his and Kaito's locked hands up, "This is Kuroba Kaito."_

"_Oh," Ran breathed, wide eyed, "You look like brothers."_

"_We get that a lot," Kaito said, brows furrowed. Why did Shin-chan want him to meet this girl? Unless…unless Shin-chan wanted to be her friend? Her-her __**best**__ friend? His chest tightened, and it made him blink. A hot, almost bitter feeling rose up. _

"_Anyway," Shinichi said, "We've gotta go. But maybe you can come over later?"_

"_Sure!" Ran said happily. This time it was Kaito who practically drug Shinichi back to the mansion._

"_Kaito?" The tiny detective questioned in confusion. The tiny magician bowed his head away, hands clenched in front of him. "Kaito, what's wrong?"_

"_I…" He bit his lip, "Let's get married, Shin-chan!" Shinichi started in surprise at the declaration. Kaito was staring at him hopefully, with flushed cheeks._

"_What?"_

"_Let's get married."_

"_But…why?"_

"_Because!" the magician said, "Remember that American movie we were watching?"_

"_Kaito, we couldn't understand half of it."_

"_Still, remember the vows? If we get married then we'll together forever!" He said with a determined nod. Shinichi gave a slow blink, head tilted sideways, indicating that he was thinking._

"_Ok…we'll get married." The tiny detective said, grinning. "But! But, __**you**__ have to be the bride."_

_Kaito frowned, then shrugged. "Ok. I'll be your bride."_

_**I'll be your hanayome.**_

The thief blinked, the memory passed in less than a second, and he was left looking at Mouri Ran, who had just closed the door. Kaito was confused—he had seen Ran many times, why did that come up now? _Because I've just remembered Shin-chan?_

The young woman turned, 'oh'ing in surprise. "Uhm, I'm sorry…hey, have I seen you before?"

_Ehehehe… _

"Ran-chan," he chirped, ignoring her confusion, and the returning tightness of his chest. "It's been a while."

Ran stared at him hard before recognition lit up her eyes, "Kaito-kun!" She laughed and walked over. "Wow, I haven't seen you in years! How have you been?"

"Good. I'm staying in Beika the rest of the summer."

"Oh, you're visiting Shinichi?"

"I'm living with him for now." The thief said, finding an almost bitter delight at seeing the way Ran's eyes darkened. He knew, he _knew_ Ran was in love with Shinichi, had been since they first met. It was no secret that the two boys had 'planned to get married' (Yukiko and Toichi had made sure of that) and he knew Ran had been disappointed and hurt by the declaration.

And years later, after she had Shinichi all to herself, Kaito was back from the veil, stealing him away again. Which he found unfair, seeing as he had Shinichi before she did.

"T-that's great," the brunette said, smiling. He felt a little pity rise up from the bitterness and sighed.

"Yeah," he said, discreetly closing his binder, "I'm still trying to remember him, though." Ran started.

"You f-forgot Shinichi?"

"Not everything. He was still a little brat tantei," he muttered, "But a lot of it, yeah. Remembering something new every day." _And all of its surprising._

They were interrupted by a yell and a shutting door. "Oi, Kaito, you here?" Shinichi walked into the living room casually, his eyes locking onto the thief's instantly. "There you are. Hattori an—Ran?"

Kaito watched with vague amusement as the detective took one look at her, and fled. Ran stood up and pushed her sleeves to her elbows. "."

_Well. What kind of bride would I be if I didn't stop my danna from getting hurt?_

He blamed the fact that title came so easily on shock. And ignored the way it made his heart beat a little faster.

--

--

"Big ships are good for pilfering. I suggest you bring a grenade and a force field."

Shinichi paused outside of the Library, confusion evident on his face. "Why a grenade and a force field?" He asked as he entered, surprised to see Kaito lounging in one of the chairs with Hattori sprawled out on the sofa.

"'Cause," the Osakan said, "then we ca' blow it up an' not get injured."*

Kaito grinned and nodded decisively with that statement while Shinichi wondered if he even wanted to know. Instead, he held up a newspaper clipping. "Kid left a note."

"What's it say?" Hattori asked, interested while Kaito tilted his head and raised a brow, masking his excitement as well as he could.

"Angrec's laugh and shining jewels fall under the stare of joking fools. A black thorne'd morning glory well before its time with white washed smiles hiding behind silken sheets. Let's see who gets there first—Kid."

"Wha' does that mean?" Hattori asked, brow furrowed. Shinichi said nothing, muttering the words under his breath until a small smile worked its way on his face.

"The Jester's Façade." He said. Kaito bit his cheek to keep from grinning.

"Isn't that some lost treasure from England that's being displayed?" He asked with all the innocence of someone who didn't know any better. Shinichi nodded.

"Yeah. It's a mask with a large diamond in the forehead, said to come directly from Queen Elizabeth the First. Hence '_angrec'_. Angrec means 'royalty'. There's also the Mieiga Museum, where the Jester's Façade is being hosted…time," he muttered to himself, "What's the time?"

"'_A morning glory well before its time.'_ The night-blooming morning glory?" The thief questioned. Hattori glanced at him, eyes sparkling in a way that made Kaito wary.

"Y'know yer flow'rs." The Osakan said simply.

"Er, not really." Aoko mentioned it to him once, actually.

"Difficult flower… 8 o'clock!" Shinichi yelled, eyes bright. Neither person questioned him; Hattori because Kudo was usually right—and Kaito because Shinichi was right.

"It'll be tomorrow night." The 'Detective of the East' said, lips curled up predatorily.

Kaito wondered if perhaps he should have waited longer for another heist.

--

--

A/N: Right! The *'d goes to 1412 karasu, who gave me this line. Credit goes to both her and Milky Etoile, for inspiration mostly, but Etoile-chama gave the proposal how-did. What movie they were watching, I haven't a clue.

As for the KID note….er, yeah, had no clue what I was talking about. I just sorta wrote that on a whim, then spent a few minutes trying to figure out how it could be used as a time-date-place thing. Failed? Also, don't ask how Shinichi came to the 8o'clock conclusion. I don't know when the night-blooming Morning Glories come, but I assume its around eight-or nine, so they die around 3 or four am…?

Also…just to let you know, I **do not** hate Ran. I really like her, actually, and support her character/role in cannon. There are very few het pairings I can stand, and Ran/Shin is one of the ones that don't make me cringe, so yeah, I do like Ran. Just in case I make her out as a bad guy, it doesn't happen 'cause I don't like her.

…wow, long AN. (sweatdrop)


	8. Tantei za Kaitou

Wao... 3,831 hits! o.o

Thanks so much, guys, for the reviews and hits!

—Tantei za Kaitou—

"Meitantei-san, I'm beginning to think you like molesting me."

Shinichi froze from his position above Kid, looking down at the smirking thief with bewilderment. "I—what?"

Kid's brow rose into his hat as his smirk widened and he lifted his head, "You're always pinning me," he said, breath huffing against Shinichi's cheek, "And always getting into my suit…oya, oya, Meitantei-san is naughty~!"

Short circuit.

Shinichi slowly sat up from the bended position, his face unreadable. One side of his mouth twitched up and swiftly he got off of Kid. "Sorry, Kid. I'm taken."

Another short circuit.

Kid blinked dumbly and got to his feet, Poker Face coming to play with a leer. "Oh? Meitantei-san finally confessed to Mouri Ran-san?" He asked, ignoring the burning in his chest. _You're not Kaito right now. _

"Ran?" Shinichi asked confused, before a light blinked on. "Oh…no. Not Ran." He had forgotten about the thing with Ran. It just…didn't seem right to pursue a relationship with a girl he'd been living with as a kid she treated like a younger brother. He'd always love her, sure, but it just wasn't that type of love anymore. Not after Conan.

"No?" It was Kid's turn to look confused.

Shinichi snorted and turned to the case hosting The Jester's Façade. "No." He said, but didn't clarify. "Isn't Pandora red?" He asked instead, pointing to the diamond in the forehead of the mask. "The diamond is white…"

"Pandora only turns red under a full moon." Kid said softly, walking closer to the detective. "I thought you knew this…and you still haven't told me how you found out."

Blue and indigo eyes met, then looked back at the mask. "A source, you could say."

"Tantei-kun?" Kid asked, a shred of hope in his voice. He had never stopped thinking about the child—never stopped wondering, and a very tiny part of himself, hadn't stopped worrying.

Shinichi's eyes flickered. "No. Though Conan did find out first. We had about the same timing."

Kid paused, eyes still on the mask. "Where is he, Meitantei-san?" Shinichi refused to look at the thief, hands clenching in his pockets.

"You're worried." It wasn't a question, but the words lingered in the air.

"I want to know."

The detective moved away from the case, making Kid look at him in surprise. "Conan…Conan isn't coming back, Kid."

The thief scoffed, "Oh come on, Meitantei-san. You can't say he'll _never_ come back. Maybe when he gets older, or—"

"_No_!" Shinichi practically snarled, spinning to face Kid, his eyes darker than they usually were. The other took a step back and the detective looked away. "Don't," he whispered. "Don't even wish for it, Kid."

"Meitantei-san? Shinichi?" Kid frowned, moving towards the other. "What do you mean? Why can't he come back?"

_Because…that would mean I'd have to leave…_ "He just can't."

"…is he really home?"

Those indigo eyes were sharper, as if compelling Shinichi not to lie. "He is," he said. "But his home isn't here." _Conan doesn't really have a home…anywhere, except inside me…_

The tower clock near Mieiga Museum chimed, reminding the two where they were. Kid acted in a flash and Shinichi could only widen his eyes when he realized the thief had grabbed a smoke bomb. The area was engulfed in pink smoke, and when it cleared, Shinichi found himself tied up and the mask gone.

All happened within 10 seconds.

"W-what? Kid!"

Kid bent to the detective's level with a sly smile, though his eyes were still sharp. "This conversation isn't over, Meitantei-san," he said as distant shouting grew louder. "Hm. Wonder what took Nakamori-keibu so long to get here…"

"I locked the doors." Shinichi said blandly, glaring at the rope holding him hostage. Kid jerked and looked at him, a short huff of laughter ringing.

"If I didn't know you were a detective…" He leered again. "Were you trying to get me alone?"

Their faces were too close for Shinichi's comfort, but he didn't allow it to show. "I told you didn't I? I'm taken."

"How do I know you're not lying?" Kid leaned even closer.

"You don't. But I have no reason to." They were breathing the same air. The shouting got closer, and footsteps were heard.

"I'll find out, you know." Kid whispered, leaning a little more down. "I'll find out about Tantei-kun." He smirked and brushed his lips against the detective's before jumping back just in time as Nakamori-keibu came crashing in.

With a sweep of his hand, the thief disappeared in more pink smoke, leaving the Taskforce coughing and skin dyed yellow, and Shinichi (surprisingly) untied and blushing.

…_I am going to __**kill**__ him._

--

--

"You, uh, look murderous…" Kaito said as Shinichi walked into the kitchen for an after-chase snack. Hattori, who for some strange reason opted not to go to the heist, was leaning against the counter, while Kaito held up a pitcher of lemonade.

"You know what the wonderful thing about being a detective is?" The teen asked casually as he undid his usual tie. The other two looked in question. "You can commit the unsolvable murder."

"Er…"

"Um…"

He gave them a bright smile. Kaito imagined he could see the image of hell behind that smile while Hattori actually flinched away. He _knew_ that look, damn it!

"When I manage to catch Kid, I'm going to murder him. And not even Tou-san or Sherlock Holmes will be able to solve it."

Kaito wondered, not for the first time, why he was still in Kudo Mansion.

And Hattori watched him unseeingly from the corner of his eye, the side of his mouth tilted upwards.

--

--

**A/N: **Not quite as good as I hoped… gomen .__.

The title is (supposed to be) 'The Detective and Thief'. I'm sorry for making it so rushed… I know it's a little more OoC than normal, too. (sigh) Twas 1AM when I wrote it… nnngh.

Anyway, the next chapter should (hopefully) be a little slower, not as fast paced, or whatever. .


	9. Heiji's Musings

Thank you for the reviews~!

Haha… so, today I had my first driver's lesson (pretty sad when I'm 17 and have no permit…) but it all went pretty well. I guess that's thanks to golf carts? O.o

Anyway:

_Papa: (instructor, driver)…_You also have to watch out for four-lane traffic stops. You have to keep an eye on your turn—and remember, just because it's your turn doesn't mean someone isn't going to go before you.

_Me: (passenger seat) –nod-_

_Papa:_ Your grandma did that once…

_Mewmaw: (back seat) _Just because the fender was crinkled doesn't mean you won that argument.

So there's your scene for the day… I love my Mewmaw… srsly. XD

—**Heiji's Musings****—**

It was a well kept secret that Hattori Heiji liked American movies. Not that it mattered a whole bunch—he couldn't understand English and had to use subtitles like most of the rest of his age group (except Kudo, but we'll ignore him). The only reason it was a secret was because Hattori never felt the need to reveal that information. Where would that come up in his conversations?

Still—leaning against one of the steps of Kudo's back porch, Hattori suddenly felt like his life was a movie. Maybe _James Bond_ or _Star Trek_ (he wasn't going to justify that)—or even that American T.V show, _Chuck_. It was just, only in a movie would this happen.

Sharp green eyes tracked the way Kuroba Kaito moved, how he danced around Kudo with a wide grin, trying (and failing) to bounce the soccer ball on his head. Hattori honestly couldn't believe it. The way the teen acted was so, so _normal _than what the Osakan thought Kaitou Kid would act like.

The irony made him chuckle low enough so not to draw attention. Really? A thief and a detective… it was cliché, and yet somehow it fit almost perfectly.

He propped his hand on his knee and laid his head down, still watching them. What was more surprising than Kaito being Kaitou was that Kudo had obviously _not_ figured it out. Hattori wondered why—the clues were obscured, sure, but not so much to not be seen; Kuroba's dad died and then Kid disappears (he may of looked that up…), then years later, Kid shows up again, and hey looky there, Kuroba's the right age to take the mantle (he might not be 100% sure of this); then there's the fact both do magic—Kuroba is from Ekoda, and Kid's heist were mainly in that area (he noticed that after Kid met 'Conan' more heist showed up in Beika, and especially after Kuroba came) he even got Kudo to confirm that Kuroba's dad was a magician and that Kuroba was often lectured that 'magic wasn't for harm'. Sound like a certain thief's rule?

The facts had been gathering since Hattori met the other boy, but it wasn't until the other night when Kuroba came back with his Okasan from 'visiting a friend' that the dots had lined up with the lines. He had been flushed and grinning (and Hattori would have put that off to having a good time with this friend…) and then Kudo comes back murderous (…good time, indeed) and looking for Kid's blood and Kuroba looked so…intimidated, actually. Which the Osakan _did not_ blame him for, but under the intimidation were a slight of worry and a sliver of smugness.

The again, he thought wryly as Kuroba jumped over Kudo's legs and flicked his hand, causing Kudo's hair to turn a dark purple, now that he was looking for it, the clues weren't so obscure any more.

He wondered if Kuroba was that confident and cocky or if underneath the smile he was tired of living a double life. The Osakan sighed and rubbed his temples, though his eyes still stayed on the two. He wasn't worried Kuroba would do anything bad, but a part of him, deep down in his manly pride, realized that he loved Kudo like a brother and Kudo loved Kuroba like…not a brother. So, yeah, okay, he felt a twinge of protectiveness.

"Kaito, you don't use your forehead for a head-bop! You use your _head_."

Hattori huffed a laugh, green eyes lit with mirth. Kudo looked exasperated and annoyed, but there was fondness in that look, and briefly he questioned whether or not Kudo knew how he felt about the magician.

_Well…considering how long it took him to admit how he felt about Ran…I'd say __**no**__. _

"I'll be right back," the Heisei Holmes said, ruffling his hair. He shot a grin at Hattori as he passed and the other detective smirked. Once Kudo was inside, though, the smirk dropped and green eyes became dark as they latched onto Kuroba, who was watching Kudo leave with blank eyes.

Hattori stood smoothly, an odd feeling come over him as he walked to Kuroba, hands shoved into his pockets. "He loves ya."

Indigo eyes snapped to him, flickering with surprise and confusion. "W-what? That was a random thing to say, Heiji-kun."

The detective stared until the magician was shifting. "He loves ya," he repeated, "so dun't screw it up. Thief," he added as a second thought. Any doubts he might've had about Kaitou's identity were swept away when those eyes flashed with panic and the type of fear you see from a caged animal. It was gone in an instant, replaced with a marble smile.

"What are you—"

"Don' give me tha', Kuroba. I'm not tha' Brit-prick, Hakuba, a'right? I dun't care 'bout your ECAs—thieves really _ar'n't_ my terr'tory. I'll stick with th' murders," he muttered, scratching his cheek and watching as the confusion reappear, "But—I _do_ care 'bout Kudo." Seriousness that he hadn't had since Kazuha was bullied in third grade came upon him, "If ya hurt 'im, you won't have t' worry 'bout Kudo or Jii-san, I'll make it so not even th' ants caun fin' your body."

The Osakan then smiled, driving the point, and turned around to walk back to the stairs of the porch.

"Why?" Kuroba asked softly, making him turn to look. The thief was staring, blankly, like he was expecting SWAT to jump out at any moment.

"I told ya. He loves ya—that's enoug' for me."

"He doesn't know."

"I won't tell 'im."

"But he doesn't know…"

Hattori tilted his head. Did Kudo really not know, he wondered. Or was it just an act? "He'll fin' out." He said finally, "But if ya tell 'im…" green and indigo eyes met, "I thi'k he understan's Kid a lot better than me."

Kuroba blinked then smiled slowly, and Hattori was amazed to see it was _real_. "Thank you…"

"Hey, what's with the weird atmosphere?" The two turned to see Kudo coming out of the house, holding three sodas. He was looking at them with a raised brow, worry creasing his forehead. "No fights?"

"No fig'ts." Hattori said with a grin. He bounced over and took a soda. "Th'nks. I think I'm gonna call Kazuha."

"So suddenly?" Kudo asked with a blink.

"Yeah. Loves in th' air," he muttered. The Eastern Detective gave him a suspicious glare, eyes shifting to Kuroba, who wore a smirk.

"Don't worry about it, Shin-chan," the thief said happily, "Nothing's wrong."

Hattori left the yard, laughing as Kuroba tackled his friend. His laughter faltered as he picked up the telephone—Kazuha wasn't going to like that he waited so long to call.

--

--

AN: … so… (sweatdrop) Hm…


	10. Atawazu?

**—****Atawazu?****—**

The sun was rising.

Shinichi sighed and turned away from the window next to his bed, eyes following the shapes the rising sun made against the indigo lighted room. He hated it when insomnia struck; it made getting up and going through the day much harder.

But something was bothering him and he didn't know what.

Groaning, the young detective swung himself upright, rubbing his eyes and yawning. Setting his feet on the floor, he stared at the wall listlessly, trying to will his mind to let him pass out. It wasn't working. Giving something like a growl, he stood up and made his way across the room, opening the door carefully so it didn't squeak. He shared a hall with Kaito (and Hattori, but he went home for a week to soothe Kazuha) and didn't want to chance waking the magician up so early.

Not bothering to close his door, he went to the bathroom. Flicking the light switch on, the detective glanced at his reflection, taking in the mused hair and slightly dark shadows under his eyes; he lifted his lips in a wry smile. For the briefest of moments, he swore he saw a flash of a younger face with too old eyes and glasses to hide behind.

He didn't have those glasses anymore; left them for Kid at one of his heist scenes. Shinichi's heart thumped almost painfully at the thought of Kid.

"_Meitantei-san… where is Edogawa Conan?"_

"_This conversation isn't over, Meitantei-san."_

"_I'll find out, you know. I'll find out about Tantei-kun."_

Taking a deep breath, he let it out in a _whoosh_ and then filled the sink with cold water. Not hesitating, he dunked his face in the freezing water, hissing out air bubbles before coming back up, his fringe dripping. The shock woke his mind up a little more and got rid of the tightness on his face.

Rubbing a hand down the side of his cheek, Shinichi continued to stare at the mirror, watching the way his eyes moved, glinted in the light. _We look remarkably alike_, he thought blandly, seeing Kaito in himself. _I wonder if that's narcissism…_

Snorting, and accidently snorting some dripping water, the detective muttered something under his breath and picked up the hand towel to dry his face.

Yawning, Shinichi left the bathroom to go outside, not caring that he was still in his pajamas. The privacy fence would keep people from seeing, and the only people who bother looking over was Agasa and Ai.

_Ai…_

The detective plopped down on the back porch, eyes closed and listening to the chirping birds. He wondered how Haibara was doing—they hadn't seen each other since he left for America a week after getting his real body back. He'd already been back for three months.

_I should visit her… see how she is…_

…_and maybe make sure she hasn't tried to kill Vermouth…_

Vermouth. Shinichi cringed both inwardly and outwardly. He hated thinking about the woman who had been his mother's best friend (and still was, actually, despite everything). Not just because she was a part of the Black Organization, but also because—

"What are you doing up so early?"

Shinichi turned his head, blinking in surprise at seeing Kaito standing in the doorway. The younger teen was wearing pajamas too big for him, and looked suitably ruffled; Shinichi thought it was cute.

"Good morning." He murmured. Kaito yawned and came to sit next to him, sleepy eyed and looking at everything with unawake boredom.

"Hey," he said back. "What're you doing up at…5:30?"

"Couldn't sleep." Shinichi rose a brow at him, "What about you?"

"Had to go to the bathroom and saw your door opened. Got curious." He muttered, leaning onto Shinichi's shoulder. "What's bothering you?"

"Nothing."

"Pfft. Yeah right."

The detective frowned. "How would you know, anyway? You didn't even know who I was when you first came here."

Kaito paused. "I'm getting my memories back."

"Yeah?" He asked, feeling uneasy. Just _what_ was the other remembering?

"Mhm…" Sleepy indigo eyes gazed up at him with a flicker of mischievousness. "_Danna._"

Shinichi flushed instantly and coughed. "Uh… yeah… so you remember that, huh?"

"Yup." The younger teen paused again, looking up at the detective curiously. "Does it bother you?" He asked softly.

"What? No, why? Er… should it? I mean, does it bother you? That'd be understandable seeing as it was so many years ago…" He was rambling, and had no idea what he was saying. _Fantastic_.

"…so we could just, you know, forget…" he continued. And then got cut off from the embarrassed drivel.

By Kaito's lips.

Who, Shinichi thought blurrily, had found time to brush his teeth before he came looking for him.

It was a rather short kiss, and not extremely passionate—a touch of lips, a flick of a tongue, then pulling back. Shinichi hadn't even known he had closed his eyes until he opened them. Kaito was smiling, though there was apprehension and anxiety darkening his eyes.

"…or we don't have to forget at all…" He muttered, still dazed. The younger let loose a chuckle.

"Yay. I'm glad we came to that decision."

Shinichi smiled and leaned against the porch post, while Kaito leaned against him. Then he sighed. "There's a heist tonight." He muttered.

"Is that what was bothering you?" His tone was odd, but the detective shrugged it off.

"Not really. I anticipate them, mostly." It didn't occur to him how strange that sounded until a second later. "Er…"

Kaito smirked. "Unhuh? He's a challenge?"

"He's… different." Shinichi said after a moment. "He doesn't steal to be cruel…he doesn't intentionally hurt people…well, okay, he doesn't hurt his taskforce, or myself… there was one time he dropped a bucket on my suspect's head. 'M still trying to figure out why he was there…" Shaking his head, the detective continued, "He doesn't do it for greed, and…not even fame."

Kaito was silent. Slowly, carefully, he asked, "How do you know?"

"Because… every time we face each other, he stares at the jewel in his hand and there's only hope, but there's also dread. He taunts me to take it back, but underneath that tone is the fear I'll succeed…and the fear I won't. He loves the challenge, the rush…but what he's doing, he doesn't want to. No, that's not right…he likes stealing, he likes keeping the police on their toes, likes keeping _me_ on my toes…he just doesn't like how it came…maybe."

Kaito was staring at him with an unreadable look. Shinichi shifted uncomfortably. "But that's just me. I'm sure Nakamori-keibu has a different opinion."

The younger teen chuckled.

The older teen hummed a little to himself. "Phantom Thieves are artists who creatively steal their targets, but Detectives don't amount to anything more than critics...who look at the remains and try to find faults." He murmured unthinkingly. Kaito stiffened next to him, and leaned away a little.

"Where did you hear that, Shin-chan?"

Shinichi blinked, then shrugged. "Kid once told me that." He said.

Kaito stared at him, then turned away, frowning.

_I never told you that, Shin-chan. I told…_ Indigo eyes widened, then narrowed. _I told that to Tantei-kun…_

"C'mon, let's go get breakfast." Shinichi said, standing up and holding a hand out to the younger. Taking it, Kaito was pulled up, lips twitching when the other flushed red.

They walked inside, the young detective humming to himself, while Kaito watched with sharp eyes.

_Its impossible…isn't it?_

-

-

AN: Yey. Got let off verily early for good behavior. Sorry for the OoCness…again. =__=

I seriously need to get a beta. Any of you bored enough?

Anyway. Sorry for the rushed quality, (again, beta…one day) but I hope it wasn't too much of a disappointment. .__.

Dedicated to Sirius J Potter—Happy late Birthday!


	11. Kansou

**Wao, 100 reviews. o.o **

**Thanks so much, guys! And a really, really, big thanks to Renkin-chan for beta-ing this for me! **

—**Kansou****—**

"… _How's it commin'?"_

"Pretty good. There's a Kid heist tonight. If you leave right now you could probably come with me to chase him around."

Shinichi smiled at Hattori's derisive snort. _"No tha'ks."_ He paused, _"How's things wit' Kuroba?"_

Looking at the wall puzzled, the detective frowned, "Fine, why?" He thought back to the last day Hattori had been at his house and how Kaito and the other had acted odd, "I thought you said you two didn't fight."

"_We didn't." _Another pause, and Hattori started hesitantly, _"Y'ever think...that maybeh…Kuroba is hidin' somethin'?"_

"Why, do you think he is?"

"…_Ah, never mind. If you ain't noticed anythin', it's prolly nothin'."_

Shinichi's frown deepened. "Hattori—"

"'_Ey, gotta go. I'll call ya lat'r tonigh', alright Kudo?"_

"…Yeah. I'll talk to you tonight."

Hanging up, the blue eyed boy tucked his cell phone away and leaned back against the couch, confusion coming off him in waves. Was Kaito hiding something? There wasn't anything extremely unusual about him that Shinichi could tell. He was a magician, but his dad had been one too—he liked playing the mystery card, but Shinichi did that a bit himself—nothing unusual at all, really.

But Hattori had apparently noticed something, and while he was humbled by the Osakan's high opinion of him, Shinichi knew the other was rather good at profiling in ways he couldn't quite pick up.

So, the question was, what did Kaito have to hide?

The detective tried to think, but any scenario that popped up was immediately shot down. _He's…normal. Well, as normal as Kaito has ever been._ Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair and decided to try looking for clues later. Right now—

Right now he should go to Agasa's.

* * *

Nervousness crept up as Shinichi stared at Agasa's door. Mentally scoffing, the detective gave his 'signature' knock of three loud knocks and two dings of the doorbell before coming in.

Glancing around, he slipped off his shoes, and walked into the first room, blinking at the fairly new scorch marks. _Hope he hasn't killed himself…_

He was interrupted in his observations by a familiar cough. Like a misbehaving child, Shinichi jumped, and spun around, staring at the young girl look back at him. Haibara had aged naturally, looking nine instead of seven, with a slight smile and far too-old eyes.

"H-Haibara…Um." The young girl sighed, and shook her head.

"Same old Kudo-kun," she murmured, walking closer. The detective didn't know what to do. All the speeches, questions, answers he had planned in his head had poofed away like Kid's smoke-bombs, leaving him stuttering and looking like a fool.

"You're back." She said, taking a seat. After a pause, Shinichi did the same.

"Yeah…have been, for three months," he muttered, almost ashamed that he hadn't come by earlier. Haibara didn't look bothered, if anything she looked amused.

"How was America?"

Shinichi tilted his head, feeling himself relax with the simple question. "It was…" [_a flash of dyed purple hair, a wide grin, and amber eyes. a whisper of secrets and unintentional advice. a scene of loud music, wild dancing, and amber eyes lit up like July 4__th__. a smile and tentative touch, 'Shinichi, life is just a locked door waiting for a key.'_] "Interesting."

"Oh?" Haibara's eyes were sharp as she gazed at him.

"Yeah. Different. I…had fun." She chuckled, and nodded, arms crossed over her stomach.

"That's good." He glanced away.

"I'm sorry." It blurted out. Haibara blinked, then sighed.

"What for?"

"I shouldn't have left like that…"

He met her eyes hesitantly. There was a mixture of annoyed fondness and understanding with a tinge of sadness.

"No. You had to." Her eyes drifted to the floor. "The Black Organization is still out there."

"Is…Vermouth still around?"

"No. She left after you did. She still visits every once in a while."

He nodded and leaned against the lumpy couch. "Yeah, Okaasan met up with her the other day…I didn't know if she was still staying here though."

They fell into silence, each in their own little world of memories. Shinichi's nervousness had faded, leaving him staring at Haibara's unnatural form. He remembered the day Vermouth had finally stopped taking the back-alleys of helping him and came directly to them with the antidote for the APTX 4869. There had been only one dose, and it was still experimental. Shinichi had decided to take it, that way if it didn't work, at least Haibara would still be around to fix it, for herself in any case.

To their amazement, it had worked.

And Haibara opted to stay child-like.

"_What did I have left in that other life, Kudo-kun? In this one…I have Agasa, and the children. It's almost like a family."_

"I hear you have a new room-mate." She started suddenly. The detective gave a slow blink before nodding.

"Mmhm. An old friend of mine, Kuroba Kaito, and his mom, **Chikage**-san."

"Kaito?" Haibara questioned, slightly amused, "Is he anything like Kaitou Kid?" *

The laughter that rose in Shinichi with the denial on his tongue stopped dead. Blue eyes were fixed on her, and faster than he thought possible images, scenes, and words were popping up, placing themselves in an order he didn't understand until the end where his memories joined.

"_Y'ever think...that maybeh…Kuroba is hidin' somethin'?"_

"_Oi, oi, I'll be the __**best**__ magician, ever! I'll be even better than Kaitou Kid and Oyaji! Just you watch, Shin-chan."_

"_A magician never reveals his secrets." The older boy tilted his head before snorting. "__**No**__, Shin-chan, you can't get all detective-y!"_

_"Kami. You remind me of Kid, sometimes, you know."_

"Kudo-kun, are you alright?" Shinichi broke from his overwhelming thoughts to see Haibara staring at him with concern.

"Yes…I'm fine." He muttered distractedly. "I've got to go…"

Green eyes watched him leave before Haibara stood up and went to her room. Once there, she grabbed the file lying on her bed and opened it.

There, lying inside was a picture of a boy who looked identical to Kudo Shinichi, except for the hair and indigo eyes.

..

* * *

AN: w00t, another chapter. Sorry for any OOCness as usual.

As for the * -- has any one noticed Kaito and Kaitou sound remarkably alike? Then again, maybe it's just me? Since I don't speak Japanese, and all. But anyway, that's what the star was for, if that makes any sense. [shot] =__=

Thanks again, Renkin-chan~ (I will definitely look those sites up!)

Also, thank you AlchemicGoddess15 for the info. Its nice to know she has a name now.


	12. Hoya Dotchi

_ Thank you so much, Renkin-chan for beta'ing this, and so quickly too! (Srsly, guys, she's awesome.)_

_ Aaah, and sank yuu for the reviews/favs/watches. I didn't expect this many o.o_

_Sorry for the rushed quality again. ._.  
_

Hoya dotchi

"_Oh, you're not going to go to the Kid heist?"_

_Kaito grinned and shrugged, his hand tucked in his mother's elbow. "Not this time. Maybe the next? Kaasan wants to visit her friend."_

_Chikage smiled at Shinichi softly, "We'll probably be back before you."_

_The detective shifted, "Yeah. I guess I'll see you two later, then."_

_Indigo eyes twinkled in amusement as Kaito suddenly left his mother's side and to be by Shinichi's. "Good luck," he whispered, pecking the detective on the cheek, then flashed back to his mother. _

_The older teen flushed bright red as the two Kuroba's left. He waited a few minutes to make sure they weren't coming back to open his hand and see what he lifted from Kaito's pocket. Dark blue eyes stared at the object before Shinichi huffed out laughter an inch close to being bitter. _

"Clever."

Kaitou Kid bowed mockingly at the detective hanging upside down from the ceiling.

"I'm surprised, Meitantei-san. First you were able to not only tackle me, but also remove my treasures, and then you could evade any and every one of my traps. Now you're caught…" Indigo eyes narrowed behind the monocle, "I _do_ hope you didn't come here wishing to capture me while thinking of some one else."

Shinichi chuckled. He then surprised the thief by whipping out a pocket knife and cutting himself lose, somehow managing to land gracefully on one knee rather than his back like all the other victims of that trap. Kid took a step back, blinking.

"That was clever." He said, echoing the detective's words about the hanging.

"I've come to expect any and everything from you, Kid." Blue eyes glittered, "You're predicable."

The thief stiffened, then let out a chuckle, "_Predicable_?" He mocked, indigo eyes darkening. Taking out his card gun, Kid aimed at the detective, prepared to at least nail him to the opposite wall. He didn't expect the other to dodge, duck and get close enough to push him down.

Kid struggled as Shinichi took the gun and threw it far away, and then pinned down his arms above his head, making sure to keep his legs on the thief's. Kid looked up to make some comment like he always did when they managed to get in these situations only to freeze at the blue gaze.

It was an icy, bitter tinged blue gaze.

It was _knowing_.

"Meitantei-san—"

The kiss was sudden and harsh. Shinichi didn't care about formalities at the moment, or the fact that if his theory was correct, that they didn't have experience with this sort of relationship with each other.

Kid was in too much shock to respond, whether to the kiss or to something a little bit more violent. It didn't matter, Shinichi pulled back not long after, his gaze sharper, clearer and _so blue_. The thief could only gape.

"W-what?" His composure wasn't picking itself up and Poker Face was laughing inside his head. But the other part of him, the _normal_ part, [_the Kuroba Kaito part_] was shrinking with confusion, and hurt.

"It's you." Shinichi murmured. He sat up, letting go of Kid's wrist, and turned his head away, the shadows hiding his eyes. "Makes sense. Makes a lot of sense. Why else would you be searching for Pandora? We wondered a long time what you could be after."

The thief paled as Shinichi got completely off of him, still facing away. "Meitant—"

"Stop. Stop it. I know who you are, Kid." His shoulders were shaking and Kid—_Kaito—_felt the urge to comfort him. But he couldn't. The way the detective was hunched told him that he didn't want comforting.

"It's not what you think." He blurted suddenly. "I didn't use you. I had no idea that we knew each other at first and then…well, okay I did use you a little. I wanted to know where Tantei-kun was. And then…then I found out most of everything and I _swear_ I was going to tell you, after I found and destroyed Pandora."

The detective said nothing. His shoulders had stopped shaking and Kaito hoped to kami he hadn't been crying because not only did that seem weird but also because then he'd feel _really, really_ bad.

_And Hattori would __**murder**__ me._

Finally after a few minutes, the detective turned around. There weren't any tear tracks down his face; he looked perfectly composed, actually. They stared at each other, dark blue to indigo, before Shinichi looked away and started to the exit.

"E-eh? Shin-chan?"

"Its not Pandora," Shinichi deadpanned, slipping out of the door without a backwards glance.

Kid shivered, feeling cold for some reason as the door shut. He glanced down at _Meridian's Eye_, an orangey-red gem with swirls of purple in the middle, and placed it back in the case. Shinichi hadn't led him wrong yet, he thought, stepping away.

_But… what will happen now? You were wrong, Hattori…_

_-

* * *

-  
_

Shinichi looked up from the file lying in his hands to the girl who had given it to him.

"How long have you known, Haibara?"

The de-aged girl shrugged. "Vermouth left it here the day she went. Said it might be of interest. I didn't bother looking at the information; just the picture…then I saw your new house guest."

The teen huffed a chuckle and stared at Kaito's grinning photo. Underneath was a list of background information; name, age, birth year, school, parents, and address along with personal notes from whoever had been keeping track of the young magician.

"They were going to check him out the day he came here." Haibara said, shifting in her seat. "Vermouth said he's been giving a 'co-worker' a hard time."

Blue eyes snapped up to her, an unreadable emotion in them as he hissed out, "Kaito's been involved with the Black Organization?"

Haibara shifted again. "A couple years ago, an unknown group came to the Organization. They were small, but very powerful; however they wanted more power, better connections, support. The Organization could provide those things. They said they were looking for a gem, called Pandora. It could grant immortal life with a tear that it shed during a certain comet's appearance. But they couldn't find it on their own…" she trailed off, watching as the connection swiftly connected in the young detective's mind.

"So they asked a well known magician, who just happened to be a well known thief. And he denied them; Toichi would have denied them…and they killed him," he whispered, eyes widening, "They killed him at that performance… and Kaito…Kaito must've found out at some point. And he started doing the same, looking for Pandora to destroy it before they got their hands on it."

"When Kaitou Kid refused, and then died, they came to the Black Organization," she said softly, "That's when we started creating APTX 4869."

Shinichi slid back in his seat, eyes blank as if processing everything.

_Toichi was killed by this organization. _

_Kaito took up being Kid to find Pandora._

_Pandora will grant immortality._

_The organization joined the B.O for support._

_B.O started creating APTX 4869 to help in case they couldn't find it._

_Vermouth came._

_And then I disappeared, and reappeared._

"I don't suppose Vermouth has told you what the Organization thinks of my return." He murmured Haibara shook her head.

"No. She said not to be overly concerned…"

He scoffed. "Yeah, 'cause that worked out." He wondered though… "I'll be right back." Slipping out of the room, Shinichi took out his phone and scrolled down the names before stopping at one.

Taking a breath, the teen hit _call_ and held it to his ear, waiting.

_Ring._

_Ring._

_Ring._

_Click. _

"_Well. You sure took your time, Shinichi."_

He smiled. "Hello Solicity. I was wondering…you know that man you were telling me about? The one you said your mother was taking care of?"

"_The crazy one locked up in Saint Peter's asylum that said he was a fugitive from a creepy gang?"_

"Yes. Could you do me a favor?"

A chuckle,_ "Yeah, but you know the cost of my favors."_

"That's okay."

"_What do you need?"_

_-

* * *

-  
_

Kaito sighed as he walked into the kitchen of the Kudo Mansion. Shinichi still wasn't back, and yeah, okay, he was getting kind of worried. What if the detective did something stupid? Groaning, the thief sat at the breakfast bar and laid his head down.

What was he going to do?

Indigo eyes closed, and for a moment, he could hear Tantei-kun's last words to him echo in his head. _"We all hide behind something._ _Maybe another part of ourselves not meant to come out until needed…maybe by the face we're expected to take."_

"I wonder what you meant, Tantei-kun."

_Keep dodging lights._

_Like a thief in the night._

_The sun will rise and expose all the lies._

_So why deny that you and I lead different lives._

_The rivers from your eyes can't change my mind._

_So long this is good-bye._

_Maybe we'll meet again in another life._

_Like strangers passing by._

_Maybe we'll see clearly in a different light._

_

* * *

_

AN: So... yeah... um. I have no excuse.


	13. Fillerish

a/n: Okay…sooo, this is more or less a filler chapter, because my muse is slipping between my fingers. This is also the introduction chapter for Solicity. For those who figured it out, or I told, Solicity is one of my favourite OCs—_I_ don't think of her as a Mary Sue because she's based off a couple of my friends, inheriting their dislikes, personalities, my likes, and character flaws. But you may see it different, and I'm kinda counting on that. It's a very short chapter, though, so maybe not.

Also sorry for the shortness, as well. I'd say RL is an excuse for my muse, but, uh, not really. I did finally get my permit though. [big smile]

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**Filler

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**

"_You're goin' to America?"_

"Yeah. Just for a little while."

"_**Why?**__ Wait, does Kuroba know abou' this? Is Kuroba th' reason you're leavin'?"_

"What? No—why, is there something you know?"

"…_no."_

"Yeah, that sounds real convincing, Hattori. Anyway, no he doesn't know yet. I'm leaving in an hour."

"_You gonna tell 'im?"_

"Okaasan will. Or Tousan. Either one…"

"_Oi, Kudo wha' happen'd?"_

"Nothing much."—pause—"I…don't think it will be long."

"_Wha'? Wha' you talkin' about Kudo?"_

"It doesn't matter. I have to go. I'll call you when I touch down."

"…_okay. Be careful."_

"Yeah, you too."

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..

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A wide grin, long dyed purple hair, and twinkling amber eyes—Solicity Edwards was just how Shinichi remembered her.

"Hey, you." The young detective smiled at the girl leaning against a black jeep. She wasn't particularly beautiful, maybe not even what people called pretty. Some parts were too thin, too bony, and she was a tall girl; her high cheek bones, cupid lips, and large eyes gave her an innocent look, while her wide shoulders, hips and long fingers made her look striking.

"Solicity," he greeted, throwing the duffel bag he managed to pack over into the back of the jeep in time for the girl to jump on him.

"You know, I missed you. That was weird." She said, squeezing his neck before stepping back a little. "You haven't changed."

"Neither have you," he said, taking in her appearance. She was still ghostly pale, still had purple hair, (though he noticed the underside was now blue), and still wore too much eyeliner.

"Yeah, well I got a couple new marks," she said instead, walking to the driver side of the jeep. Shinichi paused and looked at her warily. "What? What? Hey, c'mon, I'm not _that_ bad of a driver."

He said nothing, but made sure his seat buckle was secure when he got in. Solicity rolled her eyes.

"So, why did'ja need me to bring you here?" The girl asked when they were on the road. Shinichi glanced over at her, then back to his phone.

"You remember when I told you I was in America because I had to get away from Japan?"

"Mhm."

"Well, the guy who your mom's looking after might be able to give me some information on the people who I was trying to disappear from."

"The Black Org?"

Blue eyes spun on Solicity, wide and suspicious. "How…do you know about them?"

The girl raised a brow and snorted, "Honestly, Shinichi. Do you even need to ask?"

"…Probably not. But I'm curious."

She shrugged, taking a sharp turn that had the detective slamming into the door. "A mixture of bribery, asking, and a lot of makeup."

"You're right, I shouldn't have asked." He said dryly, curiosity dissipated. Solicity smirked and sped up.

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..

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Saint Peters Asylum.

Shinichi stared flatly at the large, Gothic building unimpressed. He glanced at his companion, who was muttering under her breath, "Seriously, we couldn't even stop by Arby's? _Nooo_, he had to go _straight_ to the freakin' place. Creepy ass…stupid…I hate this place."

"Stop mumbling," Shinichi called to her, making Solicity glare at him. He rolled his eyes. "You Americans, always thinking about food."

"I'm European," she snarked back, grabbing her messenger bag. The detective followed her, a smirk on his face. He might have missed Solicity a little bit, he thought while watching as she snarled at the gate guard.

"I'm Mariska Stabler's daughter, Solicity Edwards."

"Eh?" The guard tilted his hat back, "That don't sound right."

"My parents are divorced you idiot! Look—" she yanked open her bag and retrieved a key card. "Mom gave this to me. Now, _please_ let me in."

The guard took the key card and turned to the computer, typing in the numbers. After two or three beeps he gave it back and smiled. "A'ight, I'll let you in. You coulda just gave me the card in the first place, y'know."

Shinichi tried his best not to laugh as the pale girl glared death at the guard, then grabbed his wrist and yanked him inside with her.

"You're lucky," Solicity said after a few minutes. "Usually no one would be able to visit this late."

"Yes, I owe you my soul," he replied blandly, causing her to laugh.

"Shin-chan! What _ever_ are you talking about?" Turning her head, she grinned devilishly, "Your soul has been mine since we went to Mitternacht."

"You said you wouldn't bring that up!"

"Oh, did I? My bad."

"Solicity!"

The amber-eyed girl laughed again and skipped ahead of him, the skirt-sash she wore over her jeans fluttering around her.

The detective paused, then sighed. Yeah, he had missed her. Just a little bit.

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..

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Right…yeah. Shortness again. Sorrrrry ._.

Also, gigantic virtual hugs to the following:

Renkin-chan (awesome, awesome beta)

1412 karasu (you make me giggle xD )

Milky Etoile (very grateful to Etoile-chama)

fan girl 666 (awesome reviewer. Thank so much!)

Shingo-sama (xD Sorry its so short and fillerish)

nya-Zee-chan

HanaShiTsukiko

Alias (nice anon. name XD )

meave ((Uso a un traductor) Gracias tan muchísimo por las revisiones. :D )

DiGi –former YoshimiKurosaki-

Thanks a lot, guys. I'll try to make the next chapter much longer.

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